1987 ALCS: Game 1

Game 1:

Wednesday, October 7, 1987 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	2	0	5	10	0
Minnesota	0	1	0	0	3	0	0	4	x	8	10	0
WP: Jeff Reardon (1–0) LP: Doyle Alexander (0–1) Home runs: DET: Mike Heath (1), Kirk Gibson (1) MIN: Gary Gaetti 2 (2)

Box Score Info. - (read me)

BATTING

Detroit Tigers               AB   R   H RBI      BB  SO      PO   A
Whitaker 2b                   4   0   0   0       1   0       2   2
Madlock dh                    5   0   0   0       0   3       0   0
Gibson lf                     4   2   1   1       1   2       3   0
Trammell ss                   4   1   1   0       0   0       0   3
Herndon rf                    3   1   1   0       0   0       0   0
  Bergman ph                  0   0   0   1       0   0       0   0
  Sheridan rf                 0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Lemon cf                      3   0   2   1       0   0       3   1
Evans 1b                      4   0   2   0       0   1      10   0
Brookens 3b                   3   0   0   0       0   2       0   2
  Grubb ph                    1   0   1   0       0   0       0   0
Heath c                       3   1   2   2       0   0       6   0
  Nokes ph                    1   0   0   0       0   1       0   0
Alexander p                   0   0   0   0       0   0       0   1
  Henneman p                  0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  Hernandez p                 0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  King p                      0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Totals                       35   5  10   5       2   9      24   9

BATTING - 
2B: Trammell (1,off Viola).
HR: Heath (1,3rd inning off Viola 0 on 1 out); Gibson (1,6th inning off Viola
0 on 2 out).
SF: Bergman (1,off Reardon); Lemon (1,off Reardon).
Team LOB: 7.

Minnesota Twins              AB   R   H RBI      BB  SO      PO   A
Gladden lf                    4   1   2   1       0   0       2   0
Gagne ss                      4   0   0   0       0   2       0   2
Puckett cf                    4   1   1   1       0   1       1   0
Hrbek 1b                      3   1   0   0       1   0       9   1
Gaetti 3b                     3   3   2   2       1   0       0   2
Bush dh                       3   1   1   0       0   0       0   0
  Baylor ph,dh                1   0   1   1       0   0       0   0
Brunansky rf                  4   1   2   3       0   0       3   0
Lombardozzi 2b                3   0   1   0       0   0       2   0
Laudner c                     3   0   0   0       0   2      10   0
Viola p                       0   0   0   0       0   0       0   1
  Reardon p                   0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Totals                       32   8  10   8       2   5      27   6
BATTING - 
2B: Brunansky 2 (2,off Alexander,off Hernandez); Puckett (1,off Alexander).
3B: Bush (1,off Alexander).
HR: Gaetti 2 (2,2nd inning off Alexander 0 on 1 out,5th inning off Alexander
0 on 0 out).
SH: Lombardozzi (1,off Alexander).
IBB: Hrbek (1,by Henneman).
Team LOB: 3.
PITCHING
Detroit Tigers               IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP
Alexander L(0-1)              7.1   8   6   6   0   5   2  30
Henneman                      0     0   2   2   2   0   0   2
Hernandez                     0.1   2   0   0   0   0   0   2
King                          0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1
Totals                        8    10   8   8   2   5   2  35
IBB: Henneman (1,Hrbek).
Minnesota Twins              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP
Viola                         7     9   5   5   1   6   2  31
Reardon W(1-0)                2     1   0   0   1   3   0   8
Totals                        9    10   5   5   2   9   2  39
Viola faced 2 batters in the 8th inning
Umpires: HP - Joe Brinkman, 1B - Durwood Merrill, 2B - Drew Coble, 3B - Al Clark, 
LF - Mike Reilly, RF - Jim McKean
Time of Game: 2:46   Attendance: 53269
Starting Lineups:

   Detroit Tigers                Minnesota Twins          
1. Whitaker            2b        Gladden             lf
2. Madlock             dh        Gagne               ss
3. Gibson              lf        Puckett             cf
4. Trammell            ss        Hrbek               1b
5. Herndon             rf        Gaetti              3b
6. Lemon               cf        Bush                dh
7. Evans               1b        Brunansky           rf
8. Brookens            3b        Lombardozzi         2b
9. Heath               c         Laudner             c
   Alexander           p         Viola               p

The 1987 AL playoffs opened at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with the Tigers throwing Doyle Alexander against the Twins' Frank Viola. In the bottom of the second, the Twins opened the scoring when third baseman Gary Gaetti homered off Alexander to give Minnesota a 1–0 lead. However, Detroit answered back the very next half-inning, as catcher Mike Heath socked a home run to center field to tie the game. The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth, when the Twins erupted for three runs. Gaetti led off the inning with his second round-tripper of the game, and Randy Bush followed by stroking a triple to right field and coming home on a double by Tom Brunansky. Steve Lombardozzi sacrificed Brunansky to third, and he scored on a subsequent base hit by Dan Gladden to make it 4–1.

Beginning in the top half of the sixth, however, Detroit staged a comeback. Kirk Gibson smacked a solo home run that inning, and then Heath ripped an RBI single in the seventh that scored Larry Herndon to cut Minnesota's lead down to one. In the top of the eighth, the Tigers took a one-run lead with a pair of sacrifice flies off Twins reliever Jeff Reardon that scored Gibson and Alan Trammell.

In the bottom of the eighth, however, Minnesota took the lead for good. A double by Kirby Puckett brought Gladden home to tie the game, and Don Baylor and Brunansky drove in the go-ahead runs off Willie Hernández with a single and double, respectively. A single by Johnny Grubb and a walk to Lou Whitaker was all the Tigers could muster against Reardon in the ninth, as Gibson struck out to give the Twins an 8–5 victory and a 1–0 lead in the series.